A Night to Remember
by Wonderstorm
Summary: A Magical Pokemon Journey story, set right after the chapter "The Great Togepi Disaster" from Volume 6, Gold and Silver.  What happened after Almond and Peanut got transported to that in-the-middle-of-nowhere mountain?


**A/N: Originally written around May 2009. The horizontal line represents passage of time. Peanut manages to get into all kinds of scrapes, but this time, he drags Almond along for the ride.**

**Disclaimer: Of course I don't own Magical Pokemon Journey! Of course I'm making no money off this story!**

A Night to Remember

An icy wind blew over the mountain's top, and Almond shivered. He had no idea mountains were so cold! Beside him, Peanut coughed weakly.

"You all right?" he said. Peanut laughed breathlessly in reply. Almond pulled Peanut's arm more securely around his own neck and looked around. There was nothing but night sky and windswept mountains as far as he could see. He growled with frustration.

"_Stupid_ Togepi!"

He turned to Pikachu. "Pikachu, see if you can find some shelter." The little mouse nodded and began to scamper down the mountainside. Almond marveled at the way that he was able to keep Clefairy nestled securely between his ears with every leap. "Charmander, help me carry him. We need to get out of this wind." Charmander leaped down to the nearest ledge and held up his paws. As gently as he could manage, Almond lowered Peanut by one arm to the Pokémon. Then he scrambled down past Charmander to take Peanut from his straining limbs.

"Pi pika chuuuuu!" Pikachu squeaked above the howling wind.

Startled, Almond felt his hand slip. He fell, screaming, to land in front of Pikachu. Peanut's weight landing on top of him knocked the remaining breath from his lungs, and Charmander added to his injuries as the Pokémon fell onto his head. Almond spat gravel out of his mouth and glared furiously at Pikachu.

"Are you trying to kill me?" he bellowed. Pikachu pointed behind himself with an excited squeak. Almond saw that they were outside the mouth of a cave. It was small, but at least it would shelter them from the wind. "Good work, Pikachu!" With Charmander's and Pikachu's help, Almond dragged Peanut inside and laid him gently on the rough rock. His breathing was growing alarmingly shallow. "The air is thin when we're so high up," he said, half to himself.

"Stay with us, Peanut!" Charmander shouted. It was an order, not a request. Peanut's frail laughter dissolved immediately into uncontrollable coughing. Almond carefully placed Charmander on Peanut's lap.

"Keep him warm," he instructed. He sat on Peanut's other side, suppressing a shiver. The sound of the roaring wind made him feel colder. When Pikachu crawled into his lap, Almond did not attempt to dislodge him. They would need to keep warm in order to have a better chance of survival.

Peanut stirred weakly and placed a hand on Charmander's trembling body. The strain of maintaining a high heat, Almond saw, was draining the Pokémon's strength.

"Charmander?" Peanut croaked through his labored breathing. "Are you all right?" Charmander's only reply was to wrap his paws around Peanut and bury his face deeper in Peanut's shirt. Peanut stroked Charmander's head gently.

Watching them, Almond wished that Squirtle were there with him. Squirtle always had unshaken confidence in him, the kind of confidence that he wished he had in himself. He shifted closer to Charmander and Peanut as another frigid breeze swept through the cave uninvited.

"Hang in there, Peanut," he said softly. The injuries that Peanut had received from Gyarados had been deep, and Almond doubted if Peanut was recovering very well. At least Peanut had managed to doze, though it was a fitful sleep. Although Charmander's tail flame was steadily waning, he continued to pour forth as much heat as he was able. Their tenacity was contagious, and Almond resolved that Squirtle's confidence in him would not be misplaced. They _would_ survive the harsh night.

* * *

><p>"Almond!" Hazel squealed as she threw her arms around his neck. Almond nearly collapsed under the frenzied attention of both Hazel and Squirtle.<p>

Pistachio was leading his unsteady brother into the back seat of a car. Charmander jumped on Peanut's lap as the boy leaned back with a grateful sigh. Bulbasaur's head appeared from the front seat.

"What happened to you guys?" she asked with wide eyes.

"This idiot got himself hit by a Gyarados's Hyper Beam, and then Togepi teleported us on top of a mountain!" Charmander barked in explanation.

"Thanks for taking care of Peanut," Pistachio said to Almond. The older boy was just about to say a few words to Hazel when Bulbasaur butted his leg insistently with her head. Pistachio waved goodbye and walked away. Bulbasaur glared petulantly at Hazel before following him.

Almond took Togepi from Hazel's arms and examined him.

"He seems all right," he said, matching the Pokémon's wide grin. "Just don't wave those arms around again, okay?"

Togepi's grin grew wider as he began to move his arms from side to side rhythmically.

"Nooo!" Almond howled. He tried to cover Togepi's arms, but he was too late. He felt his senses dissolve.

Almond, Squirtle, Pikachu, and Clefairy reappeared on rocky ground. Almond looked around. They were on a small island. Ocean stretched to the horizon in all directions.

"_Togepi!"_

*The End*

**A/N: My only MPJ story to date. Please read and review!**


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